Nothing Without You

Psalm 16:2 NKJV O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.”

Some might find this hard to take. I did. I was a perfectionist and here Jesus is telling me I can do nothing apart from Him. I prided myself in being helpful and in doing things, yet Jesus said I could do nothing without Him. I didn’t understand this verse because I didn’t really know Christ at the time.

At first the word seemed condemning. I later found out it wasn’t. Instead, I discovered it was liberating. It set me free.

Jesus said He was the way, the truth, and the life. Until I was found in Him, I was still trying to make it on my own, which is exhausting. Jesus offers rest for the weary and He gave it to me.

Before I could accept what Jesus offered, I needed to understand my condition. My perfectionist ways were not loving and helpful as I thought. Instead they were condemning, critical, and harsh to others. In my attempt to help I was actually hindering those I loved. I devalued them by telling them what and how to do things rather than building them up by allowing them the choice.

This was one revelation that helped me understand Romans 3:23 “all sin and fall short of the glory of God” But rather than stay in the dire state of mind with my failure firming before me, I was lead to Romans 6:23 which says “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.”

It was here at my lowest point I realized that I could never be righteous on my own. I saw what Paul was talking about in Romans 7:18 when he wrote about “nothing good lives in me (that is in my sinful nature). I learned my righteousness came from Jesus as Philippians 3:9b says “be found in Him, not having my own righteousness but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”

The more I read the Bible, the more I understood Romans 14:2b “whatever is not in faith is sin” and Hebrews 11:6 “it is impossible to please God without faith” and John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

I grew in knowledge and understanding as the Lord revealed it to me. My circumstances provided opportunities to apply god’s words in my life. As a result, I can now say as Paul did, “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

So we really can do nothing of significance on our own. For what really matters is being found in Christ. That is a gift of God that we can not earn or boast about. It is freely given to those who believe Jesus is the Son of God. When we confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts we are saved. Then we are adopted into God’s family. We become sons and daughters of the Lord.

Have you discovered you are nothing apart from Jesus? What is holding you back from Him?

Jesus, I am nothing apart from you. Thank you that nothing can ever separate me from you. Thank you for saving me and being with me until the end of the age. In your name I pray. Amen.

~Elizabeth Marks~